Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Greens aerification

We have completed the greens aerification earlier this month. We used a 5/8 tine on a 2x2 hole spacing, followed by a heavy topdressing. For the most part the greens look good and the sand has drug in nicely. We first topdress the green. By doing this first we eliminate rutting of the turf from the spreader. Next the toro 648 core aerator comes along and pulls the plug, collects them behind the machine and dumps the plugs at the end of the pass. The plugs are scooped up and the sand is dragged in using brushes and blowers. A fertilizer was applied to help with recovery. Now that the cold weather has set in, there will be very little growth over the winter. My plan is to use a graden sand verticutter in April to further remove thatch from the putting surface.




Fairway aerification

We have started to aerate all the fairways. Holes 2,3,4,5,9,11,12,13,15 are complete. We will be starting to topdress holes 9,13,14,16,17 this winter. These are the wetter holes that take the longest to dry out. With some drainage and topdressing of sand, hopefully we can get things to dry out quicker. Look for more photos of the fairway topdressing program later.

Pines

We have taken the 4 pine trees behind 16 green down. Golf course architect Bill Bergin made a recommendation to take them down and replace with a few oaks and maples. These will come from 18 along the left side of the cart path. The plan is to transplant them sometime in December.

Brrrrrrr!

It was 10* this morning at the golf course. Lots going on this week. We have drained the irrigation system for the winter. We are also chipping brush on 16 and will cutting down a few dead trees on the course. Sorry no pics.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

November snow

Saturday brought frigid temps, with gusty winds and a dusting of snow. Lots of leaves to blow this week to get the course cleaned up.